AMHERST — A cohousing community in North Amherst is changing its name, shedding the use of a term that many who live there contend emphasizes European settlers at the expense of the Indigenous people who earlier made their homes in the region.
At a meeting Tuesday at the Pulpit Hill Road site, members of the property that has been called Pioneer Valley Cohousing agreed to rename it Cherry Hill Cohousing, the name by which the site has already been known in many official documents.
Audrey Child, who has lived at the cohousing for 28 years, said the decision follows more than a year of discussions, with resident Andrew Grant being the lead proponent by bringing up concerns about disrespect for Indigenous people and connotations of the use of the term “pioneer” about who the land belongs to.
Child explained that residents are aware that the cohousing, by its name, emphasizes the early history of those of European descent who came to the area, rather than the Native people already living here.
“We believe this has wider implications for everybody, and are tuned into the repercussions of our use of that name,” Child said.
While most were sympathetic, the concern was how the community would be named going forward. Eventually, those who live in the 32 homes and nine apartments, with about 70 people there, and others who are associate members, eventually settled on calling it Cherry Hill Cohousing.
“The big problem was to come up with a plan that everybody could agree to and to live with,” Child said.
Situated off Pulpit Hill Road, the cohousing was first conceived around 1990 and completed about three years later, becoming the first of its kind using the Danish residential model east of the Mississippi when it opened. It was soon joined by the Pine Street Cohousing a short distance away on Pine Street.
Residents share common outdoor, parking and some indoor spaces, and community members meet regularly to discuss concerns and have meals together. Most living space is private, while communal aspects include a laundry room and children’s play space.
Child said the original name was selected as a choice between Cherry Hill and Pioneer Valley.
Pioneer Valley is a term believed to go back to Elisabeth Linscott, a public relations expert who popularized its use through tour guides more than 80 years ago.
Articles in the Gazette note the 1938 formation of a group called the Pioneer Valley Association, aimed at encouraging tourism and business.
It is a name that continues to be used by many entities in the area, including the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, both of which are based in Springfield, the Pioneer Valley Growers Association in South Deerfield, and the Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield. Numerous businesses, including Pioneer Valley Indoor Karting in Hatfield, Pioneer Valley Books in Northampton and the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, also use the designation.